The final chapter of Neon Genesis Evangelion’s manga adaptation will be published in the next issue of Young Ace magazine. The July 2013 issue of the magazine will feature the 96th and final chapter of the manga adaptation, ending a serialization that has lasted 18 years.

Illustrated by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, who was responsible for the character designs, the manga adaptation began it’s serialization in the February 1995 issue of Shounen Ace Monthly Magazine, nine months before the television anime series began. Owing to the chapters being published in a monthly magazine, the television anime series rapidly outpaced the manga adaptation. Volume 4 of the manga was only published a year after the television anime series had ended.

Sadamoto’s work schedule where he divided his time to work on other projects did not help the manga adaptation’s publishing schedule as well. As a result it suffered an irregular publishing schedule. Hiatuses were common where a chapter will skip an issue of the magazine and continue the following month. On one occasion, a full year went by before the following chapter was published. In 2009, the manga adaptation continued it’s serialization in Young Ace magazine’s debut issue. At the time the series was on hiatus for over a year.

The manga adaptation is known to contain many subtle differences between itself and the television anime series even though the main plot remains the same. Certain plot events in the manga adaptation has developed differently from the television anime series. The difference in the interactions between the characters as well as their characterization are also noted in the manga adaptation.

Currently the manga adaptation has been collected into 13 volumes with the most recent volume published in November 2012.

The July 2013 issue of Young Ace magazine will be out on sale on June 4.